1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to power management of a computer system and, more particularly, utilizing a power distribution unit to control the amount of power consumed by a network of computers.
2. Description of the Related Art
As computers get smaller, the computer's power density per unit of volume increases. That is, while the computer's size may decrease, the power demand of the computer generally remains the same. In some applications, a plurality of computer servers in a network are mounted onto a rack. The servers and other electronic components on the rack are fed by a common power source.
Generally, power management of the servers on the rack is performed in a somewhat inefficient and expensive manner. In calculating the power demands, first, the maximum power rating of individual servers is determined. Next, the amount of power required for each of the racks containing the servers is calculated. Last, a power source provides enough current for the maximum or peak current rating for all the components, including the servers, disk drives, cooling fans, etc., in the entire rack. This method ensures that if all components were operating at their peak power at the same time, the system would not overload the wirings or circuit breakers.
For safety reasons, building facility engineers design for worst case scenarios. For example, in an Internet Service Providers (ISP) or Application Service Providers (ASP) environment, the servers are seldom operating at their peak, and if so, rarely at the same time. Therefore, while the above described system may be reliable, such a system is inefficient and expensive for certain applications.